Faulty insertion preventive device for cartridges

ABSTRACT

A faulty insertion preventive device for a cartridge insertable into a chamber having an opening of the same size as the cartridge. A key projects into the opening and a slot is formed on the top of the cartridge by spaced rows. For proper positioning the cartridge must be inserted so that the key fits within the slot for abutment against transverse stop adjacent the end of the rows.

United States Patent Kakiuchi et al.

[ 51 Mar. 21, 1972 FAULTY INSERTION PREVENTIVE DEVICE FOR CARTRIDGES Tokusaburo Kakiuchi; Hldeaki Akiyama, both of Tokyo, Japan Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Ricoh, Tokyo, Japan Filed: July 8, 1969 App1.No.: 839,873

Inventors:

Foreign Application Priority Data July 13, 1968 Japan ..43/59916 July 13, 1968 Japan... ....43/599l7 July 13, 1968 Japan ..43/59918 US. Cl ..206/l, 179/1002 Z, 353/18 Int. Cl. ..B65d 85/00, G1 lb l/OO, G1 1b 23/12 Field of Search ..206/52, 1; 312/330; 220/41;

287/58 CT; 179/1002 Z; 242/712, 195; 353/18 ,[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,227,508 1/1966 Bavaro ..353/18 3,175,222 3/1965 Nerwin i ..179/l00.2 2 3,280,947 10/1966 Brewster et a1 179/ 100.2 Z

Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. AuorneyBurgess, Ryan and Hicks [57] ABSTRACT A faulty insertion preventive device for a cartridge insertable into a chamber having an opening of the same size as the cartridge. A key projects into the opening and a slot is formed on the top of the cartridge by spaced rows. For proper positioning the cartridge must be inserted so that the key fits within the slot forabutment against transverse stop adjacent the end of the rows.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Patented March 21, 1972 2 Shun-Shut 1 FIG. 2A

FIG 2C INVENTORS ToK USA EURO/(A K/Z/(H/ FIG. 2B

Patented March 21, 1972 3,650,378

2 Shah-Shut I INV E NTORS 2x g r/// ATTORNEYS FAULTY INSERTION PREVENTIVE DEVICE FOR CARTRIDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a faulty insertion preventive device for cartridges and more particularly for cartridges containing therein film or the like.

In a machine such as a cartridge type cineprojector utilizing a cartridge the cartridge must be inserted into the machine in a predetermined direction. Therefore, when the cartridge is inserted in the erroneous or wrong direction, the machine will be damaged or become out of order. Thus, there have been proposed van'ous faulty insertion preventive method and means. But the conventional methods and means are such that an operator must judge the direction of insertion by checking the configurations of the cartridge or he may try to start the insertion of the cartridge into a chamber and then see whether the cartridge has been correctly inserted or not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief, the present invention provides a faulty insertion preventive device for cartridges characterized in that a projection is formed adjacent to the opening of a cartridge insertion chamber of a machine so as to extend beyond an imaginary opening defined by the upper, lower and side surfaces of said chamberj a longitudinal recess is formed in a cartridge for engagement with said projection when inserted; and stop means is disposed at the trailing or rear end of said recess in abutment or substantially abutment relation with said projection when inserted.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the projection within the chamber consists of one protrusion; the recess of the cartridge consists of slots formed in the upper surface and/or one side surface of the cartridge; and said stop means is a projection extending across said slots at the trailing ends thereof. When the cartridge is inserted its full extent, the stop projections abut or substantially abut against the projection of the cartridge chamber. If the cartridge is to be inserted into the chamber in the reverse or wrong direction, the projection of the chamber abuts against the stop projection of the cartridge or the surface of the cartridge so that the cartridge is not permitted to be inserted. Thus, a faulty insertion may be securely prevented.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, said slot is defined by a plurality of spaced apart projections arranged in two rows. This arrangement will facilitate the fabrication of the cartridges.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, said recess of the cartridge is a bevel formed along one longitudinal side of the cartridge while said projection in said cartridge chamber is also a bevel corresponding to the first mentioned bevel of the cartridge and extending from the opening or a portion adjacent thereto of the cartridge chamber. This arrangement is most advantageous in simplifying the fabrication steps as the configurations are very simple.

One of the objects of the present invention is to prevent completely the faulty insertion of the cartridge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a faulty insertion preventive device for cartridges which gives a warning of a faulty insertion or mis-insertion to an operator at the instant when he tries to insert the cartridge.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a faulty insertion preventive device for cartridges in which the cartridge and its insertion chamber have simple configurations and constructions.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are perspective views illustrating various modifications of the end or stop face of a slot formed in one surface of the cartridge; 7

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified construction of the end or stop of the slot of the cartridge;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of the projections of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a cartridge generally indicated by 'l is inserted into an insertion chamber or recess 2 of a cartridge type cineprojector, and has a front end surface la, a rear end surface lb, an upper surface 1c, a bottom surface 1d, and side surfaces le. The cartridge 1 is generally a box rectangular in both of the longitudinal and transverse cross sections. The cross-sectional area and configuration of at least the opening or the portion adjacent thereto of the chamber correspond to those of the cartridge so as to securely hold it in position when inserted. A key 2a is disposed at the inner upper surface adjacent to the opening of the insertion chamber 2 while a key slot 1 f is formed in the upper surface 1c of the cartridge 1 and the key 2a is fitted in this slot If for guiding the cartridge when inserted. The length of the slot If is such that when the cartridge l is inserted into the insertion chamber 2 so as to be set to an operative position, the key 2a abuts against the end wall lga of the slot 1 f or is located at a position adjacent thereto. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the end surface lga is formed by a transverse wall 1g and a short slot 1h having the same width and depth as that of the slot If is formed from the transverse wall lg to the rear end face lb.

When the cartridge 1 with the construction described above is attempted to be inserted into the insertion chamber 2 with the bottom surface 1d facing upwardly, the cartridge 1 insertion into the chamber 2 is not possible because the bottom surface ld has no slot into which is fitted the key 2a. When the cartridge 1 is inserted from its rear end surface lb into the chamber 2 with the bottom surface 1d directed upwardly, the cartridge is not permited to be inserted for the previously presented reason. When the cartridge 1 is inserted from its rear end surface lb with the upper surface 10 directed upwardly, the key 2a fits into the short slot lh formed in the upper surface 10 but it will soon abut against the transverse wall lg so that the cartridge will not be permitted to advance further. Therefore, it will be seen that the cartridge 1 may be only inserted into the insertion chamber 2 correctly when the cartridge 1 is inserted from the front end surface la with the upper surface lc facing upwardly and consequently the slot If directed upwardly so that an operator may correctly insert the cartridge 1 without any particular precaution.

It will be understood that the slot lf may be formed in the bottom surface 1d, or side surfaces 1e instead of the upper surface lc while the key 2a of the insertion chamber 2 may be disposed so as to accordingly oppose the slot 1 f. Furthermore, the slot If may be formed in the upper surface 10 and one of the side surfaces le or in the bottom surface Id and one of the side surfaces le while two keys 2a may be provided for engagement with these slots. In FIG. 1, the key 2a is shown as a screw having a head, but any other suitable key means may be formed integrally or independently of the insertion chamber 2. As shown in FIG. 2A, the end face lga of the slot 1 f serving as a stop for the key 2a may be replaced with a wall 11' spaced apart from the inner surfaces of the slot 1 f so as to provide an end face lia. Altemately, the end face lga may be replaced with an end face lja of a wall 1 j extending from the end of the slot If to the rear end surface lb. As shown in FIG. 2C, a circular projection 1k may be formed in the slot lf for providing the end face lka as a stop. Thus, it will be seen that any suitable means may be provided as stop for the key 2a.

Referring to FIG. 3, a cartridge 31 of the present invention has a front end surface 31a, a rear end surface 31b, an upper surface 31, a bottom surface 31d and side surfaces 3le and is of a box type rectangular in the longitudinal and transverse sections. Upon the upper surface 31c of the cartridge 31 are formed projections 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 in two rows extending longitudinally of the cartridge and a transverse projection 38 thereby forming a slot 31 f into which is loosely fitted a projection 32a of a cartridge insertion chamber 32 when the cartridge 31 is inserted therein. One end of the projection 35 is coplanar with the front end surface 310 while one end of the projection 37 is coplanar with the rear end surface 31b. The projections 35 and 37 are spaced apart from each other and the projection 36 is interposed therebetween in spaced apart relation with both of the projections 35 and 37 The projection 33 in the other row has a length equal to the spacing between the projections 35 and 36 while the projection 34 has a length equal to the spacing between the projections 36 and 37. The

projection 38 provides a stop or end surface 380 of the slot 31f and is connected with the projection 37 in the form of T. The distance from the .end surface 380 and the rear end surface 31b is substantially equal to the spacing between the transverse projection 38 and the projection 34. The projection or key 320 is disposed at the opening of the insertion chamber 32 or at a position adjacent thereto in such a manner that when the cartridge 31 is inserted and set to its operative position,

the projection or key 32a abuts against the end surface 380 of the slot 31f or located adjacent thereto. The insertion chamber 32 may be formed by continuous or spaced apart four side walls so as to have a predetermined insertion depth and a cross section corresponding to that of the cartridge. The height of the insertion chamber 32 is the height of the cartridge 31 plus that of the projection. That is, the insertion chamber 32 is so formed as to hold securely in position the inserted cartridge 31. As in the case of the first embodiment, the cartridge 31 may be inserted into the chamber 32 only in case of the relative position as shown in FIG. 3. For example, the inverted or upside-down cartridge will not be inserted since the projection or key 320 abuts against the front end surface 31a while the cartridge 31 inserted from the rear end surface 3 lb will be soon stopped since the projection or key 32a abuts against the transverse projection 38.

As described hereinabove, the projections 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are arranged in two rows and in zigzag form and the spacings between the two adjacent projections in one row are substantially equal to the lengths of the projections in the other row and in opposed relation with said spacings respectively. The reason is for facilitating the fabrication of dies for molding the cartridges and the molding operation so as to reduce the cost and giving them the better exterior appearance since by facilitating the removal of the mold in the transverse direction, that is from one side surface to the other, the number ofdies required to the minimum.

In the second embodiment described above, the slot 31f is formed upon the upper surface 310, but the slot may be formed upon the bottom surface while the projection or key 32a may be extended from the inner surface of the chamber 32 opposing to the bottom surface 3le. The end surface 38a may be provided by one wall 49a'of a large projection 49 which terminates at the rear end surface 41b as shown in FIG; 4. Furthermore, the outer surfaces of the projections 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are not required to be disposed in coplanar relation with the side surface 3le. This arrangement is shown in FIG. in which the outer surfaces of projections 53, 54, 55 and 56 are formed inwardly of the side surfaces 51e.

Referring to FIG. 6, a cartridge 61 is generally box-shaped having the rectangular longitudinal and transverse cross-sectional views and a front end surface 61a, a rear end surface 61 b, an upper surface 61. a bottom surface 61d and side surfaces file. The side 61 f formed by the intersection of the upper surface 616 and one side surface 61e has a bevel 61g extending from the front end surface 61a to a position adjacent to the rear end surface 61b. The length of the bevel 613 is equal to the insertion length of the cartridge 61, and an insertion chamber 62 is provided with a bevel 62a corresponding to the bevel 61g of the cartridge 61. The cartridge 61 must be inserted in the cartridge chamber 62 from the front end surface 61a so as to engage the bevel 61g with the bevel 62a of the chamber 62. When the cartridge 61 is inverted or is inserted from the rear end surface 61 b, the cartridge insertion is prevented because the cartridge 61 abuts against the bevel 62a. Therefore, the correct insertion of the cartridge is ensured without any particular precaution, thus preventing the mis-insertion of the cartridge. In addition to the bevel 61 the side 61h may be provided with a bevel (not shown) having the same length with that of the bevel 613. The angles of the bevels may be equal to or different from each other. In this case, the cartridge chamber must be provided with two corresponding bevels. In the third embodiment described above, the bevel 62a of the chamber 62 has been shown as extending from the opening of the chamber, but the bevel 620 may be started from a position adjacent to the opening and within the chamber and the bevel 61g of the cartridge 61 may be shortened accordingly.

In the above embodiments, the cartridge has been described as having generally the female engaging portion such as slots or bevels while the cartridge chamber, as having generally the male engaging portion such as projections or keys or bevels, but it will be understood that the above arrangements may be reversed, that is the cartridge may have the male engaging portion while the cartridge chamber, the female engaging portion.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a receiving chamber having a rectangularly shaped opening with the longer sides extending vertically and the shorter sides extending horizontally, and a cartridge having outer enclosing surfaces providing substantially the same rectangular cross-sectional shape as said opening and adapted to be inserted therein to operative position, a faulty insertion preventive device comprising the upper shorter horizontal side of said opening having an element fixedly positioned to project into said chamber closely adjacent said opening;

said cartridge having an upper horizontally disposed surface corresponding to said shorter horizontal side of said opening;

two rows of fixed spaced protrusions located on said upper surface of said cartridge so as to form a slot therebetween in a center area of said upper surface and extending the full length of said upper surface, each said row located on an outer edge of said upper surface, said slot being of a size to allow said element to be positioned in said central area during said insertion; and

stop means positioned transversely of said slotand mounted on said upper surface to comprise a transverse protrusion connecting said rows and located adjacent the end of said cartridge remote from an end that is inserted, said stop means adapted to be placed into abutment with said element when said cartridge is completely inserted to operative position.

2. The combination according to claim I in which said transverse protrusion extends to said remote end of said cartridge. I

3. The combination according to claim 1 in which each row comprises a series of separate spaced protrusions.

4. The combination according to claim 3 in which each spaced protrusion of one row is located opposite a spacing between protrusions in said other row.

5. The combination'according to claim 3 in which each row protrusion has an outer longitudinal surface, and said longitudinal surface is located to be out of coplanar alignment with the adjacent longitudinal surface of said cartridge. 

1. In combination with a receiving chaMber having a rectangularly shaped opening with the longer sides extending vertically and the shorter sides extending horizontally, and a cartridge having outer enclosing surfaces providing substantially the same rectangular cross-sectional shape as said opening and adapted to be inserted therein to operative position, a faulty insertion preventive device comprising the upper shorter horizontal side of said opening having an element fixedly positioned to project into said chamber closely adjacent said opening; said cartridge having an upper horizontally disposed surface corresponding to said shorter horizontal side of said opening; two rows of fixed spaced protrusions located on said upper surface of said cartridge so as to form a slot therebetween in a center area of said upper surface and extending the full length of said upper surface, each said row located on an outer edge of said upper surface, said slot being of a size to allow said element to be positioned in said central area during said insertion; and stop means positioned transversely of said slot and mounted on said upper surface to comprise a transverse protrusion connecting said rows and located adjacent the end of said cartridge remote from an end that is inserted, said stop means adapted to be placed into abutment with said element when said cartridge is completely inserted to operative position.
 2. The combination according to claim 1 in which said transverse protrusion extends to said remote end of said cartridge.
 3. The combination according to claim 1 in which each row comprises a series of separate spaced protrusions.
 4. The combination according to claim 3 in which each spaced protrusion of one row is located opposite a spacing between protrusions in said other row.
 5. The combination according to claim 3 in which each row protrusion has an outer longitudinal surface, and said longitudinal surface is located to be out of coplanar alignment with the adjacent longitudinal surface of said cartridge. 